Hampton Roads residents await news from relatives in ravaged area in the Philippines

Residents eager to hear from families in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan

Yoyong Melicor sat by the phone all weekend waiting for news on his daughter's in-laws who live in Tacloban, Philippines, a city devastated by Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the country early Friday.

On Sunday, Melicor — who is owner of Egg Roll Hut Filipino Fast Food in Newport News — said he found out his daughter's in-laws' home was severely damaged by the typhoon, but they were safe.

"My daughter who lives in Manila called after receiving a text message," Melicor said. "She shed tears of joy. It was mental torture."

Officials said Typhoon Haiyan is responsible for as many as 10,000 deaths in Tacloban alone, and the death toll is expected to rise, according to Reuters. President Benigno Aquino declared a state of national calamity, and the disaster has drawn aid from around the world including from the U.S. Navy, which has sent an aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, as well as other ships, to help with relief efforts.

Of about 2.4 million people of Filipino descent in the U.S., Melicor is among 45,000 or so who live in Hampton Roads, giving the area one of the highest concentrations of Filipino-Americans in the country, according to a 2007 report by James V. Koch, an economics professor and president emeritus at Old Dominion University.

Melicor said the storm surge reached the second floor of the family's three-story town home. He said as water began rising, the family — which included his daughter's mother- and father-in-law, her sister-in-law and her sister-in-law's children — took shelter in a second-floor bathroom.

"They couldn't go to the third floor because the roof was blown off," he said.

Melicor said the family remained in the bathroom for several days and used clothing and towels to absorb water that attempted to come under the bathroom door. He said lost everything on the first floor including their car. The second floor had extensive water damage, Melicor said.

He said the family currently remains in their home to protect the possessions they have left from looters. Melicor said he is urging his daughter to fly her in-laws to Manila where he wants them to live until their home is repaired.

In the wake of the tragedy, the U.S. has been supportive to the victims in the Philippines, as well as the Filipino-Americans in the community, who are leaning on each other in the wake of the devastation, said Francis Tanglao-Aguas, a professor at the College of William & Mary. Tanglao-Aguas has extended family in Feliciano, a town in the Aklan province, whose homes and property were destroyed in the typhoon. He said an aunt plans to visit them in December.

"We show how we unite and be there for each other — it's the Filipino community spirit," he said.

What little he's been able to find out has come from family members in the Philippines who have been able to send emails and text messages, but communicating in general has been difficult with power outages and spotty reception. Tanglao-Aguas, who lives in Williamsburg, said some of his friends in the area haven't heard from their relatives at all.

The professor also is planning to meet with students and community members Tuesday to plan a fundraiser and figure out whether there are any students or others who might need assistance.

In the face of tragedy is a chance to let the general public know more about Filipino people and their culture, Tanglao-Aguas said.

"We get the community to appreciate the diversity they do have, who we are as a community," he said.

Norfolk resident Ann Declizon who has family in Leyte has been communicating with her family through a messenger from the nearby island of Cebu. The messenger has taking a boat into the area to deliver messages to and from family member of residents.

Declizon said the area is only accessible by boat because the bridges have been washed out. She said there is no electricity, running water or any type of telecommunications.

She said she is currently working with her uncle to get her family members — which include her mother, father, sister and two brothers — on a boat that will take them to Manila where she wants them to live until their community is rebuilt.

Declizon said she expects the rebuilding process to take at least a year.

Declizon lived in Leyte for 22 years until she moved to the United States. She said she is devastated by what has happened to her hometown.

"I didn't know what to say when I found out what happened, I was totally shocked," Declizon said. "I still can't believe it."

In response to the typhoon, the Philippine Cultural Center in Virginia Beach is hosting fundraisers for the victims. Organizers are hosting a dance from 6 to 11 p.m. Nov. 22 at the center that will include entertainment and an auction, said Venus Tomaneng, first vice chair of Council of United Filipino Organizations of Tidewater, which owns the cultural center. The group also hosted a concert Saturday to raise money.

"We are all very sad (and) devastated, because it's such a big storm," Tomaneng said. "The devastation is overwhelming."

Along with monetary donations, the center is accepting items including clothes and canned goods, which will go to the American Red Cross.

Some local residents with family in the affected areas have not been able to get in touch with their relatives, Tomaneng said.

"They're just waiting for calls," she said. "They cannot send any money yet, because they don't know what happened to the families."

Vaughn can be reached by phone at 757-247-7870. Castillo can be reached by phone at 757-247-4635.